Open Letter to the International Olympic Committee

Global Athlete echoes the calls of hundreds of athletes calling for the
International Olympic Committee to uphold the ban on Russia and Belarus.

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15 June 2023

To: Mr. Thomas BACH, President, International Olympic Committee

Dear Mr. Bach,

Echoing and amplifying the voices of hundreds of athletes, we call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to uphold the suspensions of the Russian and Belarusian National Olympic Committees (NOC), including the exclusion of all Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sport. We are aghast that there is a need to pen this letter. Athletes have been unequivocal; Russia and Belarus must be fully banned from the Olympic Movement until Russia withdraws from Ukraine. Nothing has changed since the IOC’s initial suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes in early 2022 – the death toll and the documented atrocities in Ukraine have only continued to mount. There is no legitimate reason for the IOC to change course now.

In January of this year, the IOC once again insulated itself from accountability by “strongly recommending”, but not requiring, that International Federation (IFs) explore pathways to welcoming Russian and Belarusian athletes back into the Olympic Movement. This “recommendation” abdicated the IOC of responsibility and has left the IFs with the discretion to bring Russia and Belarus back. Unsurprisingly, the IFs with significant reliance on the IOC’s purse strings, plus those with strong connections to Russia, have heeded the IOC’s “strong recommendation”.

Despite much condemnation of the January statement from athletes, international ministerial representatives, and the European Union, the IOC has not changed its position nor responded to the criticism. The IOC’s apparent continued commitment to its January statement defies:

• hundreds of Olympians and Paralympians who, in February 2022, signed an open letter calling for both Russia and Belarus to be banned from the Olympic Movement,

• over forty Canadian Olympians who, in March 2023, called for the ban to be upheld, and

• over three hundred fifty international fencers, as well as Athleten Deutschland e.V. and Global Athlete, who, in March 2023, called for Russia and Belarus to continue to be banned.

The IOC has promulgated the idea that a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes constitutes discrimination based on nationality in violation of the Olympic Charter and a recent UN resolution. This characterisation of the ban is misleading and fails to capture the nature of Olympic sport for the following reasons:

1. Nationality is a central element of the Olympic Games. Athletes are standard-bearers whose success is strongly associated with their homeland, regardless of whether flags, anthems, and national colours are stripped away. Removing the label from a team at the Olympic Games does not change the fact that the team represents their country. This reality was on stark display at the 2018, 2020, and 2022 Games when “Olympic Athletes from Russia” and the “Russian Olympic Committee” were, in all meaningful respects, no different from “Team Russia”. There is no such thing as a “neutral team” at the Olympic Games.

2. An athlete’s passport already determines whether they can or cannot compete at the Olympic Games. An athlete might not qualify for the Games because they represent country X, even if that athlete would easily qualify if they represented country Y. This example shows why Olympic sport cannot be disentangled from national identity. In Olympic sport, athletes’ right to compete is based on their nationality.

3. Olympic athletes in Russia and Belarus, like most Olympic athletes, are beneficiaries of state funding and support. The athletes are paid to represent their country and, unsurprisingly, they often do so with enthusiasm. Allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the Olympic Games is tantamount to allowing paid ambassadors from those countries to promote their governments on one of the world’s biggest stages.

4. Many Russian and Belarusian athletes are part of the war effort. They hold high-ranking military and law enforcement positions and have consistently been used in propaganda to support the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Neither the IOC nor the IFs can realistically identify which athletes have and have not supported the war, as recently proven following the World Taekwondo Championships where Russian athletes who competed as neutrals were later identified as having allegedly supported pro-war social media posts. Allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete will inevitably mean allowing pro-war supporters and active members of those countries’ armed forces to participate in the Games. To date, Russia’s aggression on Ukraine has resulted in 235 athletes being killed, over 345 sport facilities being destroyed, 40,000 athletes forced abroad, and 140,000 young athletes left without sport facilities.

5. Despite the IOC’s protestations otherwise, Olympic sport is and has always been a tool of politics, especially for authoritarian states. The Olympic Games were used by Russia as a strategic precursor to the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and used again to build goodwill with China before the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The only way to prevent Putin from continuing to use the Olympics to bolster his political agenda and the war effort is to ban Russian athletes from the Games.

6. Russian and Belarusian athletes are not being individually discriminated against. This is evident from the fact that these athletes would, if circumstances allowed, be welcome to represent another country or even the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, though we recognize that those options are not feasible or even safe for most Russian and Belarusian athletes. The point is that these athletes are not being individually discriminated against. Rather, their teams are being excluded because they represent countries carrying out an ongoing war of aggression and perpetrating war crimes in another IOC Member State. 

As you prepare for your forthcoming Executive Committee meeting, we call on you, Mr. Bach, to uphold the ban on the Russian and Belarusian NOCs by requiring all IFs to suspend Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition, as well as, under your direct responsibility, a complete suspension from the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, until Russia withdraws fully from Ukraine.

Sincerely,

Global Athlete

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To review the signatures of previous letters supporting the ban, please click here.

CC:      Ms. Emma TERHO, Chair, International Olympic Committee Athlete Commission

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Updated 19 June 2023

Athlete Signatures

1. Adrian Federico Lopez Salas, Norway, Karate, International Athlete

2. Alena Kolomiets, Ukraine, Olympian

3. Alina Shukh, Ukraine, Track and Field, Olympian

4. Alla Cherkasova, Ukraine, Wrestling, Olympian

5. Bohdan Kozachuk, Canada, Swimming, Olympian

6. Daria Myronets, Ukraine, Athletics, Olympian

7. Daryna Zevina, Ukraine, Swimming, Olympian

8. Elena Wegner, Ukraine, Track and field, Olympian

9. Gabriel Mercader, Mexico, SAMBO, International Athlete

10. Gemma Collis, United Kingdom, Wheelchair Fencing, Paralympian

11. Georgia Holt, United Kingdom, Para Track Cycling, International Athlete

12. Iryna Lishchynska, Ukraine, Athletics, Olympian

13. Ivan Shmuratko, Ukraine, Figure Skating, Olympian

14. Johanna Talihärm, Estonia, Biathlon, Olympian

15. Kateryna Sadurska, Ukraine, Artistic Swimming, Olympian

16. Katie Uhlaender, United States of America, Skeleton, Olympian

17. Kert Toobal, Estonia, Volleyball, International Athlete

18. Lea Kruger, Germany, Fencing, International Athlete

19. Liis Kullerkann, Estonia, Volleyball, International Athlete

20. Maiia Shukh, Ukraine, Heptathlon, Olympian

21. Maksym Nikitin, Ukraine, Figure Skating, Olympian

22. Marta Kostyuk, Ukraine, Tennis, Olympian

23. Michele Verroken, United Kingdom, Handball, netball, cricket, International Athlete

24. Mykhailo Svidrak, Ukraine, Judo, Olympian

25. Nadine Hager, Switzerland, Softball, Retired

26. Nataliia Dobrynska, Ukraine, Athletics, Olympian

27. Nazar Levytskyi, Ukraine, Freediving, International Athlete

28. Noah Hoffman, United States of America, Skiing/Snowboarding, Olympian

29. Oleksandr Abramenko, Ukraine, Freestyle Aerial, Olympian

30. Olena Bilosiuk, Ukraine, Biathlon, Olympian

31. Petr Koukal, Czech Republic, Badminton, Olympian

32. Quedjau Nhabali, Ukraine, Judo, Olympian

33. Rick Gilley, Canada, Olympian

34. Robert Heldna, Estonia, Biathlon, International Athlete

35. Sergiy Stakhovsky, Ukraine, Tennis, Olympian

36. Svitlana Marusenko, Ukraine, Athletic, International Athlete

37. Viktoriya Koval, Ukraine, Archery, Olympian

38. Vitalii Dubrova, Ukraine, Judo, Olympian

39. Vitalii Dubrova, Ukraine, Judo, Olympian,

40. Vladyslav Heraskevych, Ukraine, Skeleton, Olympian

41. Yevheniia Dovhodko, Ukraine, Rowing, Olympian

42. Yuliia Hrebenozhko, Ukraine, Judo, Olympian
    
    The following athletes have asked to remain anonymous
    

43. Anonymous, Australia, Artistic Swimming, Olympian

44. Anonymous, Australia, Football, Other

45. Anonymous, Canada, Judo, Olympian

46. Anonymous, Czech Republic, Volleyball, Retired

47. Anonymous, Estonia, Rowing, Olympian

48. Anonymous, Estonia, Swimming, Paralympian

49. Anonymous, Latvia, Judo, International Athlete

50. Anonymous, Ukraine, Athletics

51. Anonymous, Ukraine, Judo, International Athlete

52. Anonymous, Ukraine, Judo, Olympian

53. Anonymous, Ukraine, Short-Track, Olympian

54. Anonymous, Ukraine, Track and Field, Olympian

55. Anonymous, Ukraine, Triathlon, International Athlete

56. Anonymous, United Kingdom, Canoe Slalom, International Athlete

57. Anonymous, United States of America, Alpine, Olympian

58. Anonymous, USA, Skiing, Olympian

59. Anonymous, Estonia, Biathlon, Olympian
    
    Others (Coaches, Administrators, Amateurs etc)
    

60. Anonymous, Canada, Boccia, Paralympic Assistant

61. Anonymous, France, Fencing, Veteran

62. Anonymous, Other

63. Anonymous, Portugal, Athletics, Manager

64. Anonymous, South Africa, Rugby, Cricket, CrossFit, Sport Administrator

65. Anonymous, Ukraine, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Other

66. Anonymous, United States of America, Figure Skating, Other

67. Anonymous, United States of America, Football, Amateur

68. Anonymous, United States of America, Track, Amateur

69. Adrian Critten, United Kingdom, Cycling, Rugby, Rugby 7s, Amateur

70. Alexander Lee, Hong Kong, Volleyball, Amateur

71. Barbara Ramjan, Australia, Rowing & Athletics, Coach

72. Bill Koehler, Canada, Doping Control Officer

73. Darren John, United Kingdom, Track & Field, Sport Administrator

74. Eddie Goldman, United States of America, Wrestling, Amateur

75. Franz Zefferer, Austria, Ski Mountaineering, Other

76. Gary Bourne, Australia, Athletics, Coach

77. Ihor Kostyuk, United Kingdom, Other

78. Jeff Benjamin, United States of America, Athletics, Writer

79. Karl Owens, Germany, Ice skating, Other

80. Kateryna Kovalchuk, Ukraine, Fencing, Fan

81. Lolita Dudeniene, Lithuania, Judo, Coach

82. Matthias Kamber, Switzerland, Athletics, Amateur

83. Nicole Wendrich, Germany, Other

84. Sarah Strack, United States of America, Nordic Skiing, Other

85. Stanislav Yerko, Ukraine, Athletics, Amateur

86. Svitlana Boikova, Ukraine, Shooting, Coach

87. Terence ORorke, United Kingdom, Anti-Doping Administrator

88. Torben Hoffeldt, Denmark

89. Tove Chatrine, Norway, Karate

90. Viacheslav Kobrzytskyi, Ukraine, Cycling, Track and Field, Amateur
    
    Updated 23 June, 2023
    
    Athletes

91. Olena Bilosiuk, Ukraine, Biathlon

92. Sylvana Mestre, Spain, Former President Paralympic Winter Sport Federation
    
    Anonymous Athletes

93. Anonymous, Switzerland, Paraswimming, Paralympian

94. Anonymous, Ukraine, Judio, International Athlete
    
    Others

95. Anonymous, Canada, Parent

96. Dr. Kurt Tohermes, Germany, Modern Pentathlon, Master Athlete

97. Nancy Porter, USA, Figure Skating, Fan

98. Steven V Selthoffer, USA, Media Athlete Channels

99. Wendy Johnston, Ireland, Other

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Updated 23 June, 2023

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